2018 Archery Elk. Try to draw with 1 point or OTC?

[Scott/IL]

So my 15 day elk/mule deer bowhunting rendezvous got postponed this year due to me switching jobs and not being able to take the time off. Next fall will also be another bust for me, as vacations will be blacked out in all of Sept. for planned maintenance. A few other hunts will hopefully keep me busy in the meantime (Coues, black bear, and antelope if ALL the stars align just perfect in '17), but I'm still dreaming of elk hunting in 2018.

My question is simply this....with 2 years to go, should me and my hunting partner try and bank a point this year, then try to draw a tag next year on 1 point? Should we just for forego the draw hopes and battle it out OTC style in Idaho/Colorado/Montana? If you say try to get a low end draw tag, what state(s) shall we focus on with only having 1 point? I can realistically block out 14-16 days for travel and hunting, so may want to add a muley tag in there as well!

A lot of time left to plan this, but I like to have game plans to be prepared and to strive for! Plus having a plan generally helps others stay devoted to the scouting, training, etc.

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[Elkfitness]

I would plan a late summer trip next year to scout an otc unit or a unit that takes 1-2 pts. Then put in for that tag or your otc unit you are targeting in the spring of 2018. Then scout that area again late summer. You'll have two good scouting trips where you can see the elk in the summer range and then go after them in the fall of 2018. Plus you will have two backpacking trips where you can test out gear and trim pack weight.

 

[Scott/IL]

I would plan a late summer trip next year to scout an otc unit or a unit that takes 1-2 pts. Then put in for that tag or your otc unit you are targeting in the spring of 2018. Then scout that area again late summer. You'll have two good scouting trips where you can see the elk in the summer range and then go after them in the fall of 2018. Plus you will have two backpacking trips where you can test out gear and trim pack weight.

Good advice! I hadn't even thought about that. With my job, you can get creative with shift changes and get some long weekends off.

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[hobbes]

The majority of elk are killed with OTC licenses/tags. I can't imagine only hunting elk if I drew a limited tag.

MT does not offer preference points but bonus points. Bonus points do not assure a tag, but instead give you more chances in the draw.

 

[bz_711]

Scott,
I've only hunted OTC so just one opinion here...but OTC is only thing that will guarantee you the opportunity to scout and/or hunt the same unit year after year. Even a unit that takes 1-2 points would only be every other year at best for hunting it, not a terrible thing, but for just starting out it could mean wasted scouting trips if you scout a 1 point unit but then fail to draw it for some reason.
A possible solution would be a 1 point unit next to an OTC unit in which you may only be 30 miles between spots to allow duel scouting.

Good luck either way - enjoy the whole process, it's half the fun!

 

[elkyinzer]

I don't think you'll find a one or two point unit to be a significant upgrade over well-scouted OTC, but that's coming more from what I have heard from people than first hand experience, so take it with a shaker of salt. If you are considering Wyoming, don't quote me on this, but I believe even their general tag requires 1 or 2 pref points now? Even if a true PP tag is one point now, there is no guarantee that you will draw it with one point in two years. You could start playing the points game in Utah and put in for the random component of their draw. Apply for New Mexico, no point system there. Either of those states, even the mid-tier units should be significant upgrades if you get lucky. Hunt OTC if neither of those options pan out. If you go Idaho for OTC they have some random draw units to apply for after you buy the hunting license as well, so you'd have nothing to lose by putting in for that. That gives you three chances at better quality hunts and OTC as a fallback.

 

[theleo91386]

I always recommend finding a unit that's OTC for archery but a draw for rifle. Spend the time in a unit archery hunting and when you eventually draw a rifle tag you'll know it well enough to be able shop for horns. The only problem is if you're a "bow hunter" or "rifle hunter", if you don't discriminate on weapons it works great!

 

[les welch]

This is seminar material, but here is what I would do in your shoes.

1) Find a new job that allowed you to hunt this year , I know that's a stretch for most, but I had to put it at the top! lol

2) Buy a WY point right now. $50 and you are done.

3) Apply for WY and NM next spring.

4) Do some research and pick a CO OTC unit. Start researching in GE, the internet, CO DOW site, and topo maps. You are in Illinois....Drive to Chicago and fly to Denver late next June early July. Rent a car go check out your GE and topo scouted OTC unit.

5) If you don't draw WY or NM go to your OTC unit hunt/scout/start learning and have fun.

That's obviously a condensed nutshell.....

 

[Scott/IL]

Scott,
I've only hunted OTC so just one opinion here...but OTC is only thing that will guarantee you the opportunity to scout and/or hunt the same unit year after year. Even a unit that takes 1-2 points would only be every other year at best for hunting it, not a terrible thing, but for just starting out it could mean wasted scouting trips if you scout a 1 point unit but then fail to draw it for some reason.
A possible solution would be a 1 point unit next to an OTC unit in which you may only be 30 miles between spots to allow duel scouting.

Good luck either way - enjoy the whole process, it's half the fun!

Matt I think you've done pretty dang good in that unit too! I haven't ruled out Will's camp yet, but my partner wants to try a backpack style hunt (probably too big of a chunk on our first try for elk, but we'll see). If I end up solo I'll almost guarantee I go to Colorado though.

Good idea on trying to find a unit next to an OTC unit. I'm not sure elk will be a yearly adventure or not (I guess the first bugle could change that). This may be a decent strategy. I've got a list of species I want to chase, and a few involve Alaska and a lot of vacation time that would cut into a yearly excursion for elk.

I'm building points in Arizona while having a license trying to get my Coues deer, but that tag is years away. We had planned on trying the lottery in New Mexico, but we know those odds are very slim. Idaho's lower hunter densities interest me, so I'll look more into the random draw areas as well. A lot of great info from this site, just reading old threads provides a wealth of information for a midwestern guy.

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[Scott/IL]

I think we have decided to focus on OTC areas, and likely looking into hoping to get lucky with a NM tag.

If I take the time off that I'm wanting, I may try to add a muley tag as well. I'm kind of leaning towards Colorado, but with the ML season running the 3rd week, I would be out there battling more crowds. I would like to hunt the rut, but would likely hunt Colorado the 1st 2 weeks of the season before the ML's hit the backcountry.

Idaho really tempts me, but I keep reading of it having heavy pressure like Colorado, but less elk and more wolves. Then again, I'm sure every OTC unit in any state will have quite a bit of pressure. I'm also trying to plan a bear hunt in Alaska this spring, so if it falls through I could maybe make a bear trip to Idaho to scout as well.

Montana also intrigues me, but tag costs are the highest of the trio, but I like everything else I see from it.

Lots of time to plan it still, but like I said earlier, I like getting the plans going.....plus it's fun!

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[Scott/IL]

Update...I get to elk hunt this September after all! The work schedule changed, and vacation slots opened up for me to sneak out west in the middle of September. I've already applied for my Arizona point, and will do the same for Wyoming, as well as put in for New Mexico.

But it'll likely be OTC. My week off aligns with Colorado muzzleloader season, so despite it making sense logistically the extra crowds are worrisome for an archery hunt. Any thoughts on this? For that reason, I'm leaning towards Idaho or Montana. I will be in Alaska backpacking for black bears this May, so I'll be getting my feet wet and fine tuning my gear. Also going to try and fly out to my unit this summer and get 3 days of scouting in to familarize myself a little with what I see on the map.

The bear hunt is first, but I'm equally as excited to hear some bugles. Just need to find my unit. I can't wait, and thanks for all the advice on this site!

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[DEHusker]

Never hurts to buy a point...anywhere really. What is lost in costs is made up for in options down the road. However, I know a ton of guys that scoff at the draw and hunt every year on OTC tags.

As far as muzzleloaders go in Colorado...I've never seen them up in the backcountry during my archery hunting. Oh yeah, I'm sure some are there but for the most part it is not a sizeable crowd in most areas. You'll possibly see muzzleloaders in OTC areas as well but all muzzleloader tags are draw tags in Colorado so it won't necessarily add a tremendous amount of pressure to your chosen unit. Many OTC archery units in Colorado have become insanely overrun from archers in the last few years so most pressure you'll see is from other archers. Your best bet is to find an OTC unit with a good herd size and decent success rate and then start the map search for some out of the way places. Don't worry so much about muzzleloaders.

 

[elkduds]

Use the online statistics to find a CO archery unit you have a reasonable chance of drawing (40%?) w 0 pps. If you don't draw you get a point for future use and can still buy OTC. PM if you want help interpreting CO draw and success/hunter # stats.

 

[DEHusker]

Use the online statistics to find a CO archery unit you have a reasonable chance of drawing (40%?) w 0 pps. If you don't draw you get a point for future use and can still buy OTC. PM if you want help interpreting CO draw and success/hunter # stats.

I agree with this but be very careful here...there is a reason you can draw these units with 0 points. Typically these "0 point draw units" tend to be near major population centers, have poor public access, small elk herds, or (more likely) very low success due to a variety of factors like insanely rugged terrain or something. Just looking over some of the "0 point units" the other day I saw a couple had success rates at or near 0 (zero!!). Yikes.

 

[justinspicher]

I'll only put in a draw for the area I already hunt in. I'm kinda lame like that.